Preview

Two Causes Of Eutrophication In The Chesapeake Bay

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
141 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Two Causes Of Eutrophication In The Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay receives excessive nutrients that can create low levels of dissolved oxygen for the fish. Two causes of eutrophication in the bay are from the use of fertilizers on residential lawns, commercial properties making their lawns look green and weed free and from farms using chemicals to control the growth of weeds, plants and animal waste run-off. Air pollution from internal combustion engines and factories also increases the nitrogen levels.
Reducing my negative impact on the Chesapeake Bay I installed faucet aerators, reducing water the water flow 1 gallon a minute each on four sinks. My thirty-year-old gas dryer was replaced this past Monday with an Energy Star approved unit that BG&E will rebate $75.00 for the purchase. These

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. By 1980, the Chesapeake Bay was severly polluted with toxic industrial chemicals. The Chesapeke Bay is threatened with several environmental problems. A huge problem is the pollution its driving the animals away and killing them. It's getting to a point where if people don't try to help the bay will never be the same. The bay involves the hydrosphere because the water is getting contaminated and is effecting everyting in the water and near it. One solution that could possibly work is trying not to do things that causes pollution like driving or not properly…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sci 256 Week 3team Paper

    • 1655 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Toxins from horticulture have influenced the marine 's biological community in ways that may not be reversible, and may likewise be gradually hurting waterways, streams, and waterfront waters. Pesticides and compost are two noteworthy segments that have irritated the marine 's environment; both contain unsafe chemicals that can be perilous to living life forms in the water. Compost and pesticide keep running off from substantial ranches may have started blasts of marine green growth which may disturb the sea 's biological community by creating monstrous sprouts in marine waters (Schwartz, 2005). Winds cause nitrogen and different supplements from the ocean bottom to surface, which advance the development of green growth called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is a primary wellspring of nourishment for some living creatures in the marine waters. Farming toxins may have activated phytoplankton to deliver unsafe blossoms in tides, which are radiating noxious poisons to marine life. These noxious poisons are hazardous in light of the fact that the oxygen levels are step by step decreasing in waters, which may have fatal results for marine life (Schwartz, 2005).…

    • 1655 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the 1600s, colonists from England decided to leave their homeland to travel to America or “the New World.” The two regions the colonists mostly settled in were the New England area and the Chesapeake area. Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions evolved into two distinct societies. This difference occurred because the New England colonies was based off of escaping religious persecution while the Chesapeake colonies was based off of profiting of natural resources.…

    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Blue Crab supports the Chesapeake Bay of being healthier than expected due to it helping the cycle continue to circulate and as it continues to circulate the organisms which consume other living things which contaminate the water which keeps it cleaner as well as healthier than it is expected to be. Though the water does become a little bit healthier it does not become healthy enough for all the organisms to be able to live an ordinary life cycle and easily survive. As time passes by and the life cycle continues there are several organisms which interfere with the cycle such as the algae which is harmful to many aquatic plants and animals. This alga plays quite a large role in decreasing the population of the blue crabs as well as other organisms. The reason this algae is harmful is because it intoxicates the Chesapeake Bay water which leads to intoxicated animals and obviously to the death of the animals. Another way algae interferes with the cycle is that in some occasions there is a high abundance of algae which leads to the blocking of the sun and with out sun the plants are unable to grow and they die and this harms the blue crabs as well as other plant eaters. Also the blocking of the sun may kill fish and also causes there to be nasty odors. The alga has not only harmed the aquatic plants, animals and the…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An important similarity between the Chesapeake region and the New England region from 1607-1754, would be that they both brought people over from England who were looking for a fresh start and new beginning. This gave the regions something in common. Because with the magority of the colonists being from England, they had similar ideas and mostly all spoke the same language. Later on, their similar ideas and knowing the same language would help the regions come together to form a single…

    • 83 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    There have been attempts for decades to clean up the Bay, but any expert would eagerly tell you that there is more to it than that. In order to keep the Chesapeake Bay healthy, you have to start with eliminating pollution in the entire watershed. If we are to rebuild the population of Maryland Blue Crabs, oysters and rockfish, we have to start small. The numbers that we have lost over the past thirty years are outstanding. Since the 1980s the oyster population alone has decreased by 70%. The sewage lines that dump into the watershed, the fertilizer and other agricultural run-off are the biggest issues causing the decline in the Bay’s health, and subsequently the tourism on the Eastern Shore that depends so heavily on the watershed (Woodward, December…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Runoff is a problem when farmers use too much nitrogen on their crops to help them grow and the excess nitrogen flows into creek and other bodies of water when it rains. This excess nitrogen causes more algae to grow in an algae bloom, which causes the bacteria that eats this algae to multiply as well and use up all the oxygen in the ecosystem. This leaves other organisms to die in the process called eutrophication. Another way that humans can affect a water ecosystem is by littering near or even far away from a body of water. Wind, runoff, and other conditions can carry the rubbish, such as plastic bags, bottles, and paper, into the creek which decomposes over time and leaves harmful chemicals and gases. These dangerous pollutants can decrease the water quality and cause organisms to die (Umgeni Water Amanzi). Overall, humans can impact water ecosystems in a lot of…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    While nitrogen and phosphorous is common in the Chesapeake Bay, it has been steadily increasing over the last few decades. According to the EPA, “prior to substantial human activity in the region, most nitrogen and phosphorous was absorbed or retained by the natural forest and wetland vegetation” (EPA). As more vegetation is being cut down and replaced by farms and cities, the amount of these compounds is increasing and it’s raising concerns over water quality. Since it’s affecting the water quality, it is affecting the lives of the species living around it such as the fish and the…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every environment has a food chain group within the ecosystem. The Chesapeake Bay’s food chain begins with the growth of bay grasses and algae, the most critical part of the food chain. Not only does the bay grasses and algae have a part but everything living within the bay play a role in the food chain, whether it be the zooplankton, oysters, or small and big fish. If there were to be a decrease in any part of the food chain, it will have a major effect on all other members in the food chain including humans. The cause of a decline in the food chain could be from many sources such excess nutrients that cause algae populations to grow rapidly, or "bloom" and reduction in sunlight (Nutrient Pollution). The way to fix these problems include,…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Global Issue / Community Issue - The Chesapeake Bay is a known body of water if you live in Maryland. During the summer it is a common hang out spot, it is even home to many animals and plant life. But what many people don’t realize is how serious of a problem we will have if we don’t start to clean it up.…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Chesapeake Bay is important to the environment and a part of our economy. Many fish migrate to the bay to feed and mate. Fishermen use the fish as bait and catch them to sell for food. Also the rivers that flow through the surrounding states are used to dump unwanted waste that quickly leads in the watershed. Over the last 50 years we have been trying to use more of the renewable resources like water by building dams in the rivers leading to the Chesapeake Bay. We have also been using solar energy by setting up solar panels, unlike oil, coal, and other fossil fuels that will not come back in this life time. Unfortunately the dams that are built in the rivers block migrating fish from coming to the Chesapeake Bay to mate or eat, and the dumping animal waste in the rivers are increasing the growth of algae clouding the surface of the water cutting off the sunlight this then kills the plants sitting at the bottom. When the plants on the bottom die the fish that relies on the plant for food, a solution to this are Wild life groups creating ‘Fish Ladders‘ to let the passing fish go by. Another problem is when people dump toxins in to the water, the toxins pollute and poison the water the fish, plants and animals drink or breath, a solution to this are banning the worst of the chemicals for being used and limiting industry’s runoff in the bay. Humans have to be careful to not over fish or over pollute in the Chesapeake Bay, the delicate balance of predator and prey can easily be tipped and if one species becomes extinct then the predators of that animal will die of starvation. The main relationship between these problems are in my opinion is ignorance to our environment and animals. We didn’t find out how bad the Chesapeake Bay was in till the decline in fish the fishermen were catching, or in other words we didn’t notice in till it affected us.…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Water In The Everglades

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Fertilizers from farms and urban centers release chemical pollutants that make their way into the Everglades’ system.” The pollutants impact has made changes in vegetation and are harmful to the plants and animals. Eutrophication (the overgrowth of plant and algal species due to excess nutrients) was harming the Everglades’ vegetation. “Scientists linked phosphorus to the eutrophication problem, and phosphorus quickly became the scapegoat for all of the Everglades’ troubles with water quality.” Phosphorus contaminated the water, flowing into the Everglades, giving weeds more nutrients to flourish and kill off other plants. The water become contaminated by pollutants from the runoff of wetland sprayed with fertilizers. “During the 1980s and 1990s, there were sporadic reports of high levels of mercury in fish caught in the Everglades.” Mercury is very toxic and increases most in wildlife. This affected the birds and humans that were consuming the fish. Pregnant women were warned not to ingest any of the contaminated fish. The mercury put fish-eating wildlife at risk, especially the wading birds. The quality of the water would increase as a result of farmers reducing the amount of fertilizers and harmful chemicals they use in the soil because it causes soil…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This seems to all lead back to runoff, The causes of the blooms are excess nitrogen, and phosphorus. This is like steroids for these microorganism. What it does is it brings the population of the algae up to a certain extent , then it crashes due to the fact that there is no more nutrients. It seems that the nitrogen, and phosphorus is coming from farm fields, and fertilisation. This happens when there is a major rain storm which picks up all of the fertilizer, garbage, and other harmful substances that cause this problem. Roads act as slides for these harmfull pollutants that all seem to lead straight to the waterways. This can be a huge problem because the more urbanisation and building that an area can go through there will be less land to suak up the harmful and destructive types algae. These blooms really screw up the water quality of chesapeake bay, they end up consuming almost all of the oxygen until there isn't any and then everything dies. This is obviously a huge problem. No body know how long that water body will withstand these torturous and extreme die offs, and blooms. According to http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/post/the_abcs_of_habs_how_harmful_algal_blooms_impact_the_bay residents are currently trying to drive less, upgradeing septic systems, picking up pet waste, and not useing fertilizerser on there…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rainwater also carries contaminants like trash, car oil, and animal fecal waste from the streets and roads into the storm drains (“Stormwater Runoff”). All of these pollutants also eventually lead into the Bay. Many of the aquatic organisms may be intoxicated or trapped by the oil and trash. This will lead to the depletion of their populations and consequently affect the other organisms in their food chain, and the humans that rely on them as a source of food (“Stormwater Runoff”). The chemical contaminants affect the population of all sorts of aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay. For example, the “small bottom dwelling organisms take in the contaminants through skin contact while feeding” (“Chemical Contaminants”). Larger fish then consume the chemically contaminated fish, and accumulate the toxins in their body tissue (“Chemical Contaminants”). Mammals and other wildlife then consume these contaminated fish as the chemicals keep harming the predators of contaminated prey in the food chain (“Chemical Contaminants”). Many Marylanders rely on aquatic organisms, like crab, that they fish from the Chesapeake Bay as a source of income. If the pollution of the Bay is not stopped, the disappearance and contamination of these organisms will bankrupt many entrepreneurs in the state. These aquatic organisms will not be able to survive from the continuous exponential growth of toxins in their ecosystem.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Agriculture, urban runoff, septic tanks, and point source discharges are the leading sources of nutrients, bacteria, and low dissolved oxygen that degrade estuaries.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays